Winetasters- celebrate your favorites on this thread.

[Sugar Smack]

Talk to me.

I am partial to Shiraz. I like red wine and Cabernet Sauvignon was one of my faves until I discovered the spicy aggression of Shiraz. Lindemans is a nice cheap brand, and I've also discovered I like Yellow Tail and Robert Mondavi.

Shiraz- full, aggressive, spicy, heady, and surprising. Just like I guy I might want to have fun with.

Merlot is shy and sweet.

Cabernet Sauvignon has a little attitude, right? But it's not confrontational like shiraz.

I can't bring myself to drink pink wine. It's pretty, but I can't do it. I think there should be no laws governing what wine goes with which food. To me, if you like it, it goes with anything.

My favorite toast/curse is this: "May a pack of gypsies pitch camp in your staomach and train their bears to dance on your liver".

Let me see what yours are! Don't be shy. Use your favorite personifications because that's the most fun.

-and cheers!

:D

[no name no slogan]

1. mmmmmm Shiraz

before I went on the wagon a couple months ago, I was on a big Spanish wine kick.

The good think about Spanish wines is that 1) they're cheap (under $10/bottle, generally); 2) they're very tasty and 3) there's a lot of variety between the five major wine regions of Spain, which means you'll NEVER get bored.

I miss drinking. But for now I know that I can't if I want to stay healthy. :D

[Sugar Smack]

3. Spanish wines are excellent.

The best sherry comes from Spain, I think.

And you're not just cute, you're smart.

:) Good on ya!

[no name no slogan]

5. Oh, sherry....

:blush: you're pretty darn smart and cute yourself, pretty lady :D


Oh sherry,...
(and I don't mean the cheezy Steve Perry song either)

I used to LOVE drinking sherry! The best sherry in the world comes from a town called Jerez de la Frontera, which is in Andalusia in the very southern part of Spain. It's also a HUGE town for flamenco guitarists and singers.

Ah to be in Jerez sipping cherry, playing a mellow Solea on my guitar and singing the cante jondo with the gitanos... (sigh)

[swag]

8. Montilla and Manzanilla.

The people in Cordoba are so proud of Montilla. "You can drink other sherries, but when you drink Montilla, you'll never get a hangover."

I also like the Manzanilla, which is more common in Sevilla, Granada, etc.

Dry Spanish sherries, so fucking good with jamon iberico, queso manchego, the usual suspect.

And Spanish reds are just dreamy.

[Zomby Woof]

10. Riojas and Tempranillos are my favorite Spanish reds

I agree about the manchego, which I can get at Trader Joe's, luckily.

[swag]

11. The reds are glorious

I have never had a bad glass of wine in Spain. Always transported.

[Sugar Smack]

23. Manzanilla is something I've heard of a lot but have never tried.

I've had Amontillado; a nice balance of dry and sweet although I prefer dry. Amontillado took every ounce of alum out of my system and made me say the sweetest things.

[swag]

45. Maybe there's a tapas joint in CH or Raleigh that would avail you of

some manzanilla with some famous Spanish snacks.

http://www.law.duke.edu/infoweb/foodresources2.php?match=Spanish

I betcha Tina's at 100 W Franklin has some dry white spanish sherries, like Manzanilla (La Gitana is a reliable brand) that you could enjoy with little plates of olives, manchego cheese, espinacas con garbanzos, jamon serrano, tortilla espanol, flamenquin, or whatever crazy tapas might be on the menu.

At the link, the guy's snobby pals think the place in Durham is better, but guys' snobby pals can so often be fucked in the head.

[Zomby Woof]

6. You are correct

I used to live just 20 miles down the road from Jerez de la Frontera, in the Andalusia region, which is THE HOME of the world's best sherries. :D

In 4th grade we took a field trip there and each of us took a mini-sized bottle of Pedro Domecq brandy home. The brandy is also a great product of the town.

My recommendation is the Fino sherry from the Osborne bodegas. :thumbsup: I like 'em dry!

[no name no slogan]

12. man I am SO JEALOUS

all this great sherry advice, and here I am on the wagon!

One of these days I WILL make it to Andalusia. I don't know if I'll make it back, though! :)

[Zomby Woof]

15. My goal is to return

I lived there as a kid, when I was just beginning to appreciate the depth of it all... I am 38 now and intend to return sometime in the next 3-10 years! Or more than once. :-)

[Sugar Smack]

26. Will a big hug make you feel all warm and tingly?

I'm no Spanish wine, but maybe you'll catch a tiny flirt-buzz.

:hug:

[no name no slogan]

27. Much more intoxicating than any Spanish wine is your embrace, mi amore...

:blush: :hug:

[Sugar Smack]

14. Oh, the drier the better.

God, I am glad I started this because there's a lot I want to learn. I'm feeling a bit rube-ish at this point but there's nothing wrong with that! I'll bet you have some spectacular memories.

[Zomby Woof]

18. Great memories, yes

You aren't rube-ish at all, you are among friends. :-)

If you are interested in a good mild, but dry, domestic red, the best Pinot Noirs come from Oregon - they have the perfect climate and soil for the grape.

Washington state makes great Cabernets and the best Syrahs outside of Australia, and my home state of California...well, that speaks for itself. Robert Mondavi's Estate Cabernets are a good start. :toast:

[Sugar Smack]

24. Oh, thank you, ZombyWoof.

You are fantastic. I'm going to pay attention to your Pinot-Noir Oregon connection the next time I go shopping.

*o, NO- o, dear. Two and 1/2 glasses shiraz and already I'm feeling a bit bumbly. You may have to take over this thread, with clever swag skipping out to the wine bar, no name no slogan swearing off until he at least goes back to Spain and yours truly, Sugar Smack, having to get up at five.*

damn.

[no name no slogan]

28. At FIVE?!?!?! Oh no!!!

At least I'm not alone then! I'm up about that time tomorrow, too, unfortunately :(

I drove back to my mother's tonight which is a 1.5 hour commute to and from work. My because my bass-playing friend who I normally stay with doesn't have air conditioning and it's about 95° and about 95% humidity. My thick northern blood cannot handle this weather!

Oh well, maybe I'll take my sleeping meds early. Last time I had some kind of weird flashback, and the damned ceiling fan attacked me. Jeez, you drop acid twice in college, and it haunts you the rest of your life... :P

[Sugar Smack]

32. Oh, I SAW that!

I was at work, and it gave me a little thrill. I got to sincere laughing, which made my boss tell me to go cackle outside. The ceiling fan. You are very amusing when you've been taking your sleep meds. You sounded like my hero, Hunter Thompson.

Just like him.

[no name no slogan]

33. I LOVE HST!!!

HST is one of my all-time favorite authors, to tell the truth! I used to read him pretty heavily during college. "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail" is one of my "desert island" books, actually. It was one of the reasons I was a PoliSci major, believe it or not! :D

Unfortunately, I've never rented a red shark and driven across Death Valley with a fat Samoan attorney. Definately adding that one to my to-do list.

Another 20 minutes and it's medication time. I wonder what random household appliance has it in for me tonight.... :o

[Sugar Smack]

37. Have you ever read The Curse of Lono?

I gave that to my ingrate bro (whom I love, but he's still an ingrate) for Xmas. Ralph Steadman's drawings were never so amazing. This is one of the reasons that I will SOME DAY get a bottle of wine whose label he has designed.

Meanwhile, I think the ceiling fan is in league with the toaster. Don't go trying to fight that toaster back. We all know who will win.

;-)

[no name no slogan]

38. YES! Steadman is a genius!

One of my favorite HST stories is the first "gonzo" piece he did at the Kentucky Derby with Steadman. DAMN that is hilarious! "Teddible, just teddible" as Ralph would say!

Speaking of that goddamn toaster, I burned myself on that sunovawhore just tonight. I was making some toast and I'll be damned if I didn't burn myself. THat rat basard! He will PAY. :grr:

(can you tell I just popped my pills?) :dunce:

[Sugar Smack]

39. Are your appliances growing gills and back-talking ya?

You must show them who's boss. Unplug them. Can't be too careful. You could be overpowered by the lot of them in your sleep and then where would you be? Helpless. Impotent, and with an embarrassing obituary that you could neither read nor edit.

[no name no slogan]

40. You're beautiful and brilliant

Yes, I'm going to go unplug those waterheads right now!!! The pills are starting to take effect...the hands are trembling...the room is getting all drippy-looking, and I could swear that cold-air register just said "Fuck You" to me.

Damn I need a drink...

[Sugar Smack]

41. No, I'm a bit up on my translations of both applianic jingo

and Northeast upper-high martian. What your cold-air register was saying was specifically not,"Fuck you" but more, "Take this job and shove it". Less hostility and more resignation.

:D

[no name no slogan]

42. I'm glad you're here

:spray: at least SOMEBODY knows what that bastard is saying!

Uh oh, just got yelled at by my mom to go to BED since I have to be up in a few hours. Meh. :( AND she told me to turn down my music, too! It it's too loud then you're too old. BWAHAHAHA!!!

Damn, I'm pathetic. You'd think I was fifteen again instead of 35. Just as long as she doesn't find my stash, and I can have the car this weekend :dunce:

[no name no slogan]

25. I love Oregon's and Washington's wines

Ever since I took a road trip to visit a brewmaster friend in Portland in the early 90s, I've had a serious jones for the wines from the Pacific Northwest. So good, and relatively cheap too!

Can you tell I'm a cheap bastard? :D

[tuvor]

2. I love shiraz, too (Wynn's Coonwara Estates from Australia), but...

...these days, I'm enjoying my homemade strawberry wine.

Damn, it's good.

Next up: raspberry, followed by blackberry!

[Sugar Smack]

4. Homemade strawberry wine

sounds very interesting. I have a couple of books instructing how to make wine, but even if I had my own house and the wherewithall, I'd still be afraid of poisoning somebody.

You must really know your stuff.

[tuvor]

30. Naw, it's easy.

Start off by making wine from a few kits, and follow the directions to the letter.

After a while, you'll get the basics, and by then the stuff made from scratch isn't so hard to do.

[smtpgirl]

7. "Winetasters- celebrate your favorites on this thread."

Norton wine from VA, the "southern claret" so smoooth, the exlir of VA, eventhough I am a MD native.

Chrysalis Vineyards
Horton Vineyards

After that, a good Pinot Noir

[Sugar Smack]

9. That sounds good, the "southern claret"

Pinot Noir's something that was called to my attention way after Sideways came out. I really like the drier reds.

Hey, also, welcome to DU!

:hi:

Cheers!

[swag]

13. I like the Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs, but then again

that's about all I ever have of Pinots.

I'm with Smack, I lurve a good Shiraz.

[Sugar Smack]

19. Shiraz is easy to assimilate, absorb and appreciate

and so, so hard to get out of a rug.

:loveya:

Good Lord, I had no idea who I was talking to. Thank you for the tips.

I want to go to Spain VERY badly right now.

[no name no slogan]

29. I'll have my house sold by end of August...

...and around $60k in my pocket. That would last us quite a while in Jerez.....!

If we go in September or October, we'll miss the really hot weather, but still have some nice enough days for hanging out, drinking wine, going to cafes and hearing the cante jondo (deep song) of the gitanos...

(nnns searches frantically to find his Garcia Lorca poetry books so he can practice his conversational Español...)

[Sugar Smack]

34. With ME?????????

I get to hang out in Spain with a cat-loving, guitar-playing, sherry-knowing, baggage-addled hottie like YOU?

I must have dozed off and in my vegetable torpor, begun dreaming.

*Gratuitous pic of author & cat*

[no name no slogan]

36. meowww!!!

AND you're a webgeek, too (he said, admiring your JS Bible on the bookshelf)?

And what part of heaven did you descend from? ;)

Yes, the company would be fantastic! I'm not much for travelling alone. Just as long as you don't mind me reciting Garcia Lorca in my sleep and talking guitar "shop" with every tocoar I meet!

[Zomby Woof]

21. Now you're talkin'

Oregon Pinots are the best of that varietal, and I say this as a proud Californian.

[maxsolomon]

16. i am NOT drinkin' Merlot!

sideways' best line.

i am partial to Irouleguy, lately.

and i'm into creamy yummy Chaffonte cognac. its like eating a brandy ice cream.

[Zomby Woof]

20. If anyone orders a goddamned Merlot...

I AM LEAVING. :D

(I agree about the line, although I like many Merlots myself, lol)

And I was into Pinot Noirs since I discovered them on a wine tasting trip in Oregon more than 6 years ago.

[swag]

43. Merlots are the perfect contrarian play now; I agree there are fine ones.

I prefer a Pinot for summer, and a Merlot for fall and Winter, if I have to choose between just those two.

I might have that ass-backwards, as far as generally accepted slurping principles go, but that's what I like.

Since that movie (whose amorality I appreciated greatly), local bartenders have confessed (to local reporters) that nobody is ordering Merlots and everybody is ordering Pinot Noirs. I'm sure prices are also dropping and rising accordingly, though I haven't discussed this with anybody in a Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index field unit.

[Zomby Woof]

46. Sounds right

Pinots are a little lighter-bodied than Merlots, so they are good summer wines.

I generally like all full-bodied to medium-bodied dry reds, including Merlots.

Glad you appreciate the movie too, for the right reasons. Interesting how it elicits strong negative reactions in some sectors, but then again, you appreciate William Burroughs, so we're on a similar wavelength.

[swag]

17. Bye bye - I've got a date at Beth's wine bar.

I think it's another Shiraz night, unless she's got something else open with which to entice.

A gulp in your honor.

[Sugar Smack]

22. Have fun this breezy Thursday night.

;)

I stocked up a little because this weekend, I'm getting INSPIRED with some friends.

Be good!

[tuvor]

31. Don't forget to check out BC's wines.

Especially the Okanagan. Cedar Creek is one of our favorites.

http://www.bcwine.ca/

[Sugar Smack]

35. Definitely. Southern Seasons is a huge store here

and they have a huge collection. If I can stop myself from eavesdropping long enough to trust my instincts, I'll do okay.

Have you ever eavesdropped on a wine seller talking to a civilian?

WELL:

:rofl:

[NV Whino]

44. I'm a Shiraz (or Syrah) fan also

However, my friend Jac, the winemaker at Spring Mountain dropped off a couple of bottles of "employee" Cabernet the other night... yumm. It will be available to the public next year for a very affordable $25. That is a great price for a fabulous wine. It will be under a second label--can't remember what he told me.

He also dropped of their Syrah, which I haven't tasted yet. Can't wait.

Affordable Shiraz: Springwood from Trader Joes, also Black Mountain, which has a Cab as well. Skip the Black Mountain Merlot.

And that's the report from the Napa Valley from one of the peons who can't afford Napa Valley wine.